TMC Adds Flexibility to Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS) Coding Structure

TMC Adds Flexibility to Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS) Coding Structure

Newly Developed User-Defined Block of Codes Enables User Flexibility

ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) has recently added a new feature to its Vehicle Maintenance Reporting Standards (VMRS) that gives users the ability to enter “user-defined” codes to reflect company-specific maintenance needs. The new user-defined codes — which were introduced June 13 during the Council’s 2022 Fleet Data Management and Cybersecurity Conference in Washington, D.C. — will be housed within System 997 of VMRS Code Key 33: Component Codes.

This means users will have the ability to assign up to one thousand codes under System 997 — spanning 997-000-000 to 997-999-999 — to anything they wish.  TMC will make no attempt to assign industry standard meanings to this group of codes. Although System 997 falls under VMRS Group X9X “Bulk Product Codes,” this is not the first time a block of codes in this grouping as been repurposed. Previously, TMC assigned System 999 to apply to “total vehicle.”

“TMC has always been receptive to the VMRS user community’s needs and feels that adding the new “user defined” code will help users further define their maintenance reporting process,” said TMC Executive Director Robert Braswell.  

VMRS users are encouraged to enter their own defined codes as long as they adhere to the existing VMRS coding structure and only use System 997 for this special application. “TMC will not be responsible for any misrepresentation of the existing VMRS database and will rely on the user community to make sure the standards are kept intact,” said TMC VMRS Services Manager Jack Poster.

Since 1970, VMRS has the accepted industry standard equipment cost coding convention and “universal” maintenance language for fleets, manufacturers, industry suppliers, software firms and those whose responsibility is to specify, purchase, operate, and maintain equipment.

For more information, visit https://tmc.trucking.org/VMRS-Overview or contact Jack Poster at jposter@trucking.org ; (703) 838-7928.